Magnesium alloy



Patented Feb. 1, 1944 MAGNESIUM ALLOY Fritz Christen, Zurich-Altstetten, Switzerland, assignor to Wander Company, Chicago, Ill.

No Drawing. Application May 28, 1942, Serial No. 444,905. In Switzerland March 25, 1942 2 Claims.

This invention refers to a special corrosionresisting magnesium alloy, equally suitable for castings and rolled metal without the necessity of any supplemental treatment.

Magnesium alloys are known, the composition of which varies according to the particular purpose, casting or rolling for which they are intended, and such alloys generally require some supplementary treatment with a view to imparting immunity from corrosion after having gone through the manufacturing processes.

An object of the present invention is to overcome such disadvantages. A series of careful tests has established the fact that magnesium mixed with aluminium that has been preliminarily alloyed with zinc and manganese, both of which being compounded so as to reach a definite ratio of mutual saturation, and also containing titanium constitutes an alloy that is equally suitable for castings and for rolling-purposes, and possesses, apart from its good qualities as to mechanical strength, exceptional corrosion-resisting qualities.

The alloy, while fully retaining the immunity from corrosion and mechanical strength is improved in ductility by adding titanium to the com-position.

The alloy that will show those improvements in accordance with the present invention consists of Manganese 0.1 1 Titanium 0.05- 1 Magnesium (remainder) -94.85-

Example An alloy was made of the following Composttion:

- Per cent Aluminum t 5.1 Zinc 1.55 Manganese 0.6 Titanium 0.6 Magnesium (remainder) 92.15

Castings were made of this alloy, and were case hardened, and the test bars taken from one of those case-hardened castings showed a tensile strength of 23 kg./mm. together with an elongation of 12%.

Test castings of the type referred to, after 24 hours submersion in salt water, showed a loss of 0.0014 gram per cm. After a submersion of hours they showed a loss of 0.00023 gram per cm..

I claim:

1. A magnesium alloy composed of aluminum 4 to 6%. zinc 1 to 2%, manganese 0.1 to 1%, titanium 0.5 to 1%, and the remainder magnesium.

2. A magnesium alloy consisting of aluminum 5.1%, zinc 1.55%, manganese 0.6%, titanium 0.6%, and magnesium 92.15%. 3

FRITZ CHRISTEN. 

